Increasingly, individuals are incorporating their personal values into their financial portfolios, as well.
Socially responsible investors have the opportunity to create positive change in the world through
their financial decisions while remaining focused on their long-term investment strategy. A growing
number of investors are discovering that they can seek to do well financially while making
investments that focus on the causes they care about.

Call me for a New Perspective review to help you align
your investment strategies with your personal values.

Joseph E. Mitchell, CFP®, MBA
Senior Financial Advisor
Business Financial Advisor
9200 Keystone Crossing, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46240
317.853.1100
joseph.e.mitchell@ampf.com
Brokerage, investment and financial advisory services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
Member FINRA and SIPC. Some products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions or to all clients.
Your meeting will include a review of your existing financial situation and potential opportunities, gaps, or general
strategies. You will not receive a comprehensive review or financial planning services for which fees are charged.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

3

August/September

’10

The Frederick Talbott Inn
is one of four Hamilton County
Bed and Breakfasts

Features

20
10
16
22

Mission of Love
for Fishers
Innkeepers

6

Entrepreneur

8

Michelle’s Got It Covered

12

Interview

13

Management

15

Personal Finance

24

Ear to the Ground

Tourism Pumps
Local Economy

26

News

27

Dining Out

28

Chamber

Student Business
Plan Winners

34

Hamilton County
History

35

Business Resource
Directory

The Higher
Education Gap

Cover photo by Mark Lee, Great Exposures

4

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Letter from the Editor/August • September 2010
We are entering our third year with this edition, so let me take this opportunity right up front to thank our advertisers who have made this endeavor
possible. We know you have to spend your marketing dollars carefully in
this economy. That you choose to spend them here is truly humbling and
encouraging. Thank you.
As this venture continues to evolve we are adding a couple of new features
this time around. Michelle Sybesma has contributed occasional columns
over the past two years and has this burning desire (and considerable
ability) to solve various business problems. A brainstorming lunch resulted
in a Q&A format we’re calling “Michelle’s Got It Covered.” Her initial online
call for questions resulted in some interesting queries and she tackles them
on page 8. She will take on new ones in future editions, so join in with your
problem. Her email address is at the end of her column.
We also debut a feature we’re calling “Ear to the Ground.” Ever drive by
a construction site and wonder what’s going up there? I do it all the time
so this is an effort to help satisfy my curiosity. This will be a place where
you can learn about some of the more interesting economic development
projects in the county, large and small, emphasizing ones you probably
haven’t heard of yet. We can’t cover them all but we’ll get in as many as
we can and you are invited to contribute. Send info and photos to
news@hamiltoncountybusiness.com.

Mike Corbett/Editor and Publisher

Our features include a look at the county’s tourism industry, which has done
well during the recession. And if you have ever thought about entering that
industry by opening a bed and breakfast when you retire, you’ll want to read
our profile of Ed and Nancy Cohee, who did just that.
Our focus topic is education, and our main story is a review of the effort
to establish a Hamilton County-based college. We have a number of fine
higher education options in the county, but no college is actually based here.
Some people would like to change that. Also, Hamilton Southeastern’s
superintendent is floating a unique collaboration that would be the first
of its kind in the nation. Two promising initiatives, and two reasons it’s
so great to be living here and contributing to the discussion.
Did I mention we’re a darn good marketing vehicle? Hey, I’m the lead sales
guy here and my publisher (that’s me) would be disappointed in me if I
didn’t at least bring it up as we approach budgeting season. If your customers and prospects are other business people, this is a great way to reach
them. We’re local, we’re relevant, we’re well-read, and we give great customer
service. Keep us in mind as you work on that market budget for next year.
Mike Corbett

Editor and Publisher

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

5

Entrepreneur
Emmett Dulaney

The Connected Life of Rich Raven

Or How We Discovered the Limits of Social Media Marketing
Despite its current popularity, social media
is not right for every product, as there are
rarely one-size-fits-all solutions to any
marketing effort. Recently, I was confident
I had identified the perfect product for such
a campaign: an entrepreneurship camp for
high school students in central Indiana.
The summer of 2010 marked the second
year Anderson University offered such a
business camp at no cost to attendees and
with an average $100 cash prize for each
student attending, thanks to the generosity
of the Coleman Foundation and the Falls
Departmental Initiative fund.

last year’s camp, videos from the winner’s
pitched product, and so on.

friend but were outside the demographic
– not in high school, over 30, etc.). Even
though the only messages this fictitious
YouTube
character sent were about the camp, he was
For the video, several minutes were taken
still invited to open houses, asked to meet at
from the movie The Downfall – a German- area eateries, and so on. In addition to the
language film of Hitler’s last days. While few generic postings sent to all, Rich occasionever saw this movie when it was released,
ally sent a personal message to each of his
scenes from it became an internet sensation friends while still staying true to task (“Evan
with hundreds turning it into parodies. A
– congrats on making Eagle Scout! Can I
sequence of Hitler angry in the bunker was look forward to seeing you at the Entrepresubtitled to make it appear as if he were
neurship Camp this summer?”)
fuming because youth were choosing to go
to AU instead of the camps he was offering. The Results
First the website: while we were delighted
to have snared the domain EntrepreneurshipCamp.com, it turns out it can be rather
difficult to spell. At one point, Greg Heberling – one of the two faculty involved in the
camp – was speaking before a church youth
group when he pulled out a $20 bill and
offered it to the first person who could spell
the website. Many attempted – even an adult
Our biggest challenge was how to reach
We wanted it to come across as funny to
counselor – and it became embarrassingly
those who were searching for the camp’s inarea high school students (that ideal iGen
formation, and generate some additional buzz apparent that “entrepreneurship” can prove
supposedly plugged in 24/7) to make them
challenging. If you can’t spell the site, you
aware of the opportunity. We decided to use among aficionados of this film’s parodies.
reduce the odds of visiting it….
YouTube and Facebook to drive traffic to the
Facebook
website and the application forms. While the
The idea for the Facebook component of
website arguably does not fit the definition
the campaign was to create someone who
of social media, it is too important to not
area high school students would add as their
mention. The results differed from those
expected. Here are key elements of the cam- friend and who could talk to them about
the camp. After trying to register names
paign and the outcome.
such as Mr. Moneybags and a number of
others - and being barred from so doing
The Website
by Facebook - we settled for Rich Raven,
For last summer’s inaugural camp, we created a primitive set of web pages and posted the surname an homage to the mascot for
them in a directory beneath an existing site. Anderson University.
Greg Heberling shares with high school students
This year, we acquired the domain Entreat the AU Entrepreneurship Business Camp.
Once Rich was on Facebook, he added a
preneurshipCamp.com and the site was
designed with a clean slate, using ideas and single high school student in the area, which Second – the video. Our timing could not
have been worse. Despite The Downfall’s
then prompted Facebook to recommend
input from as many web-savvy individuals
as possible. Not only were the forms easy to other friends. Within a short time, Rich had long time presence on the internet, the film’s
over 500 friends from area high schools (and owners decided during our campaign to
find, but there were scrolling photos from
a number of others who requested to be his stop all use of it and YouTube pulled our

…while we were delighted to have snared
the domain EntrepreneurshipCamp.com, it
turns out it can be rather difficult to spell.

6

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

video from view. While I’m tempted to say
that it really hurt us, the truth of the matter
is that prior to being pulled, the video was
not being viewed in sizable numbers. Apparently, few high schoolers search You Tube
for Hitler rambling about a business camp
at AU.
Third – Facebook. While Rich Raven proved
quite popular online, only one student who
attended the camp actually was a Facebook
friend. That student reported that he had already heard of the camp before and decided
to attend on the basis of a discussion with an
attendee from the previous year and not because of anything involving Rich (interestingly enough, though, the communication
that transpired between this student and the
past attendee took place through Facebook).

Going Forward

While we could have implemented it
better, social media failed us in this case.
Those who make the argument that our
trial did not cost anything are dismissing
the considerable time involved in creating
content and disseminating it – particularly
when you send personalized messages to
each friend. That time could have been
spent talking before more groups. Students
from nine different high schools attended
the camp. Of those, 100% said that personal
communication with someone (a past attendee, a teacher, etc.) weighed into their
decision to come. Sometimes, you just can’t
beat personal selling… even with the digital
generation.

Emmett Dulaney teaches entrepreneurship
and business at Anderson University.
Brenna Erlich posted a more positive
article on reaching the teen audience
with 5 Teen Social Media Trends that
Can be Applied to Small Business
(http://mashable.com/2010/06/16/
teen-social-media-trends-small-business/) and it is well worth the read.
For a counterargument, that dispels
some of the social media rumors floating about, read The Ten Myths of Creating Web Content by Joe Ciarallo at:
http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/education/the_ten_myths_of_creating_web_content_163962.asp

Making the Most of Your Road Time
Strategies for efficient business travel
MGIC:
I manage a sales team with high expectations and vast territories. I know my team
works hard but they often run out of time.
It seems like they spend too much time in
the car or airport. Any suggestions on how
to improve efficiency on a minimal budget?
~ Tom Wells, VP & National Sales Manager,
Sunburst Chemicals
Tom:
Let’s presume the team is already using
technology to leverage their time when
they can. Despite technological advances,
face-time with customers is the only way
to close business for many industries.
• Book flights with more in mind than just
short-term cost. Consider the on-time
statistics of the carrier. www.BTS.gov
[Bureau Transportation Statistics] tracks
on-time stats that can help you determine if it is worth saving $20 to fly with a
carrier that is late 43% of the time.
• Ensure your team members use their
miles rewards toward Airline Mile Clubs.
These clubs offer private rooms in larger
airports that can serve as an office away
from the office. One closed business deal
can often justify the membership fee (if
miles don’t cover it).
• How your sales reps determine driving
routes can make or break them. Law
enforcement agencies share those
challenges in gaining access to persons
in need. Take a quick glance at regional
layouts on state police websites. This is a
great clue to saving resources and ensuring routes are being grouped effectively.
• If the schedule permits and your company will allow it, having a spouse drive
can mitigate some of the issues travel
causes in personal lives. With a broadband card and a cell phone, you have a
virtual office if you have a driver, and

8

• Search your client lists for past stars that
have already negotiated time away for
such trips. An unpaid vacation by their
employer might be a consideration.
There are many ways to use free/low cost
• Think about partnering with a fellow
resources to improve travel. Ask your team
small business owner who has clients of
to brainstorm solutions to reduce their
a similar nature: a Pilates instructor or
travel stress. You might be surprised by
gym owner who might have the interest
their solutions too.
and skill, and have the staff to allow them
to break away occasionally.
often you can spend an extra day or two
on the road which can multiply what you
can accomplish with an effective route.

MGIC:
I run a business that takes people on backpacking adventure vacations. I would like to
grow the business, but since I can only hire
guides for a week or two here and there, I
can’t find enough qualified people since they
have other employment.
~ Steve Silberberg, Owner, FitPacking
Steve,
Finding a qualified workforce is a surprising challenge for many business owners.
Finding someone part-time and flexible is
even more difficult. The key is to compare
what you can do for them with what they
can do for you.
• Match your geographic needs to your
calendar and see what matches happen
naturally. For example, west coast and
winter time may mean you could find a
stay-home parent who can pre-arrange a
“working vacation” for a couple of weeks.
It is a bonus for them to have some extra
income, a break in the routine and some
extra fitness. A school teacher or grad
student, on the other hand, might love
a summer opt in. Keep an eye out for
fitness-minded majors or coaches.

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

You can teach the skills to those who want
to learn. This will diversify your pool and
keep your business secure in case of emergencies. I often tell my clients, “Your legacy
is not what you leave behind, but rather
what lives on when you are not there.”
MGIC:
I’m a 23-year-old planning to start my
own business, a niche travel guide company
to lead cultural, literary, and culinary
tours of Europe. I’ve been doing a lot of
research online but I want to reach out to
professionals already in the field. How can
I find mentors?
~ Kate Wiseman
Having done the research, Kate, you know
there are so many things to do in establishing a business. You are right about one
thing-relationships matter! At age 23 you
will struggle to be taken seriously at first;
don’t let that stop you. In fact, respect others for their years of wisdom. Start local
with face-to-face connections. Look to
those who write articles or are considered
community leaders in the field. Ask the librarian about their go-to person for topics.
Check with culinary institute chefs. Reach
out and be candid about your fact-finding.
Send a thank you note summarizing what
you learned from them. Diversify your
connections; ask these mentors who they

know. Don’t get too lost in social media;
these are good transactions but they don’t
frequently lead to new and deep relationships. Don’t forget about the person responsible for sparking this passion in you.
If possible, start there. Good luck, Kate… I
am up for Italy.
MGIC
Michelle, any suggestions on managing
email? My Outlook inbox often fills up
when I am out of the office. How do you
stay effective during higher volume times?”
~ Brea Dantin, Senior Client Service
Manager, Stifel Nicolaus
Brea:
Inbox management is one of my most frequent questions. Many of us tend to wait
until the task is finished and filed to manage the data. I suggest doing the opposite.
• If you tend to keep too much, create a
single folder called “Save and Read” and
use the search feature of your software to
re-find things later. This will eliminate a
LOT of backlog. To do this—Right click
on the Inbox folder, and select “New
Folder”. Type “Save and Read.” You
are done.
• Create a second folder for “Rainy-day
reads.” Place all fascinating but distracting information there, and schedule a 2
hour review once a month.
• Dropping emails on the task list converts
them to to-dos. Drag an email (unless it
has an attachment) to the word “Task”
on the left and let go. It becomes a task
with all the email in the note/history.
• Switching screens to book appointments
slowing you down? Highlight the word
Calendar and right click…select “Open
in new window.” See your emails side-byside your calendar when responding.

Once you have cleaned them all out, send
me an email with your latest business challenge: info@skillsconsulting.com.
J. Michelle Sybesma is a business consultant
who has spent ten years with Professional Skills
Consulting specializing in maximizing business
success. More at www.SkillsConsulting.com

Shop online at childrensmuseum.org/shop

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

9

Focus: Education/Workforce Development

Filling the Higher
Education Gap
By Shari Held

Hamilton County has long been touted
as one of the best places to live—for good
reason. Its nearly 280,000 residents enjoy
access to top-notch shopping, K-12 school
systems, libraries, parks, trails and arts
and entertainment venues. What’s missing
from this picture? Convenient access to
affordable higher education.

Local builder Will Wright, who is passionate about education, spearheaded the effort. “Everybody benefits from education,”
he said. “And it doesn’t make any difference whether you achieve the highest level
of learning or whether you just do your
job better than you did it yesterday.
It all pays off in the long run.”

For a county that prides itself on the fact
that every other resident has a college degree, the void of higher education venues
is an anomaly. But it’s not for lack of effort
or oversight. And if all goes well, it will
soon be history.

Investing in higher education also makes
good economic sense. Impact studies on
DePauw University showed an eight-to
12-fold return to the local community.

Studies also showed that 96 percent of
Hamilton County residents supported
the idea. Better still, 14 colleges and universities expressed interest in having
a presence there.
Then reality set in. “From an efficiency
standpoint, this is still is the best
idea,” Wright said. “But it wasn’t
achievable because you can’t buy
the land at $35,000 to $50,000 per
acre and store it without having
some revenue coming in to support it.”

Getting started

Nearly a decade ago, board
members of the Hamilton County
Alliance began discussing the need for a
Hamilton County-based university.
“There was a general overall sense that
if we were going to be able to attract the
types of companies and businesses that
we felt we could be competitive for, we
needed a higher education component,”
said Jeff Burt, president of the Hamilton
County Alliance.

“The market analysis we did showed a
potential enrollment, based on the
existing population, of as many as 45,000
students,” Wright said. “That would
make it larger than IU or Purdue (at their
main campuses).”

Enter Plan B
Developing the plan

In 2007, a group of 20 business, educational, government, economic development and civic leaders began developing
a strategic plan to develop the land and
facilities with a goal of offering classes in
the fall of 2010.
It called for a 400-500 acre educational
park with a classroom building that
institutions of higher education could rent

The central campus was scrapped in
favor of a decentralized model. Four electronically connected community learning
centers, each capable of accommodating
up to 10,000 students, would house classrooms, libraries, food courts, lounging
and study areas.
Independent developers were asked
to donate property and pay part of the
infrastructure costs for each center and
the Hamilton County Higher Education
Initiative would raise money through

Around 2004, the Hamilton County
Higher Education Initiative was formed to
create a vehicle to provide post-secondary
Market analysis showed a potential enrollment
education to residents of Hamilton County
of 45,000 students…larger than IU or Purdue
and beyond. It was to be a comprehensive,
- Will Wright
multi-university model that would offer
everything from doctorate degrees to lifeon an as-needed basis. As their individual public and private fundraising. Developers
style classes, including certifications and
enrollments grew, each institution could
would benefit from the increased traffic
classes geared toward specific skills.
build their own building(s) within the
the university centers would generate and
educational park.
the county would be better positioned to
attract new economic development.

10

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Ideas included using educational buildings
to serve as transitions between commercial
and residential space in master-planned
communities such as Centennial in Westfield and Saxony in Fishers. Discussions
with Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard focused
on using buildings in the Meridian Street
Corridor for classes during off-times.
But negotiations halted when the economy
tanked. “Westfield, Carmel, Noblesville and
Fishers all have sites under consideration,
but nothing is definite yet,” Wright said.

Guerin Catholic High School
Named one of the nation's Top 50 Catholic High Schools

Open House November 7, 2010
from 1-3:30 p.m.
84 member Class of 2010

offered more than $10 million in college scholarships!
For more information
visit our website at guerincatholic.org

A matter of time

The first step to putting life back into the
initiative is getting the property donated,
and Wright is optimistic that an upswing
in the economy will set the wheels in motion once again. “The prospect is good for
getting back on track now,” Wright said.
“The need is so great that this will happen
in a reasonable period of time. And I’m
confident that the majority of the schools
that were interested before are still waiting
in the wings.”

A plus is the state’s focus on higher education, as evidenced by the recent establishment of WGU Indiana, an online, competency-based university. While some people
might view WGU as competition for the
Hamilton County-based university, Burt
said distance learning will never eliminate
the need for an environment where people
can congregate to learn.
Burt is also confident access to higher
education classes will become a reality for
Hamilton County residents. “From a timing perspective, this is all about patience,”
he said. “Knowing what you want to do.
What you can do. And when the time permits, being in a position to implement it.”
Given the need and an accelerating
economy, can funding be far behind? v

In his State of the Schools speech in June, Hamilton Southeastern Superintendent Dr. Brian Smith
raised an intriguing idea. As he noted the expected
increase in student population for Hamilton
Southeastern’s two high schools and a proposed
Freshman Campus, Smith maintained that the

district will need a new high school within a few
years. But, instead of building a traditional high
school, Smith is proposing a partnership with a
university. We followed up after the address with a
brief e-mail interview. Excerpts:

Dr. Brian Smith

Dr. Smith: As the high school enrollment
exceeds 6,000, HSE will need to decide on
the best plan to accommodate high school
growth. One of the options HSE is exploring is the concept of establishing a regional
college campus in Hamilton County and
allowing up to 2,000 HSE students (from
both Fishers and HSE high schools) to
attend college to meet their high school

MBA
Accredited.
Respected.
Proven.

The MBA for
bu s i n e s s p ro f e s s i o n a l s

Now offered in Fishers & Car mel
http://mba.uindy.edu
(317) 788-3340

12

and many post-secondary-degree requirements, simultaneously. Students would
need to apply to attend the college-high
school program. It is an option that would
be a good fit for many students. Others
would feel more comfortable in a traditional high school program.

high school concept. The major Indiana
colleges and universities have expressed
significant interest. There is no national
model for an educational delivery system
as unique and collaborative as this...yet it
makes sense as we strive to develop a true
K-16 educational program.

With the concept we’re considering,
students selecting the college-high school
option would be segregated from regular
college students during their freshman
and sophomore years. Juniors and seniors
would take a significant number of dual
credit classes. Students would travel back
to their home high schools for extra-curricular activities, such as band and sports.
With this option, a third “traditional” high

HCBM: Give us a few more details on
your vision. Would there be a “campus?”
Would the college option be a traditional
college experience?
Smith: There would not be a segregated
high school or college campus. Facilities would be shared. Classrooms would
be shared. An outsider looking in would
simply see an educational campus.

There is no national model for an
educational delivery system as
unique and collaborative as this…
school might not be a necessity. Students
selecting the college-high school option
would have the possibility of graduating with a high school diploma and an
associate’s degree or higher.
HCBM: What kind of response are you
getting from colleges?
Smith: Our staff and community have
been very supportive during the preliminary discussions regarding the college-

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Students wanting to achieve an advanced
post secondary degree would be able to
do so a few years out of the college-high
school program.
Tradition can be reinvented. Fishers is
a fast growing and vibrant community
where residents place a high value on
education. It is a place where educational
excellence can cross paths with innovation.
And, it’s the perfect time to accomplish
both. v

Management
Robby Slaughter

Putting New Knowledge to Work
How to make the most of offsite training
It has happened to all of us. We’ve attended
a workshop or training seminar, taken
copious notes and then later realized that
we never implemented any of the great
ideas from that program. How can we
begin to actually use what we learn from
a short course?
To tackle this problem, we must understand the forces at play. Conference
presenters are under more pressure than
ever to pack tons of content into less time,
making retention far more difficult. Conference attendees are expected to catch up
on all the work they missed as soon as they
return to the office. The most valuable part
of many sessions—interactive Q&A—is
relegated to the last few minutes and often
cut short. It seems like all the circumstances conspire against our desire to learn.
Nevertheless, there are steps you can take
to increase the overall value of a seminar.
It may be most powerful to start with area
where it feels like you have no control: session content. Reach out to the organizers
in advance to ask if presentation materials
can be made available. Contact the person
leading the session to ask for electronic
copies of their slides and handouts. Consider making a personal audio recording of
the session or even taking pictures of key
visuals with your cell phone camera. This
will give you more than just your handwritten notes for reference.
Furthermore, take a look at your own
pre-event behavior patterns. If you find
yourself scrambling to get work done before leaving, try to delegate or reschedule

so that you can focus on preparing for the
event. Change your email and voicemail
to report that you are “Out Of Office” well
before you actually leave to give yourself
more space. Write down questions you
hope to have answered in the session and
bring them along. Come ready to learn
and to keep the office out of your mind.
Arrive early and network. The other
people in this room are about to engage in
a shared experience. You can contact them
later to exchange ideas and compare notes,

and most will happily communicate with
you in the weeks and months ahead. Seek
their business card so you can reach out to
them in the future.
When you get back from a great session,
the first thing you should do is reserve
time on your calendar to process. Part of
this block should be immediate while the
material is fresh. The rest depends on how
much time you think you need to begin
exploring and implementing ideas in the
session. Make appointments with yourself

…there are steps you can take to
increase the value of a seminar.
so take this opportunity to collect business
cards. Once you’ve met as many people as
you can, sit near the front. The closer you
are to the action, the more you are likely
to retain.

and your notes. Be prepared to spend at
least as much time reviewing as you did in
attendance. If you want the information to
stick, you must be ready to relive the time
you were in the audience.

Once the session begins, put your entire
focus on being attentive. Turn off your
phone, shut your laptop and don’t chat
with your neighbor. Ensure that your notes
match the natural rhythm of the presenter.
If their talk is divided into three parts,
separate and title each part on the page.
If they show a few video clips, note these
breaks. Later, these touch points will help
jog your memory of the overall narrative.

Make that next offsite training more
meaningful. Change the way you attend
seminars by being more intentional, before, during and after the session. You will
find that additional effort reaps tremendous returns. Instead of begrudging how
much you’ve forgotten, you’ll be proud
of how much you remember and the new
plans you put into action.

After the program ends, your sole mission
is to acquire the presenter’s contact information. Every trainer appreciates praise

Robby Slaughter is a Principal with Slaughter
Development, an Indianapolis-based productivity and workflow consulting company. His
new book, Failure: The Secret to Success, is
available now at www.failurethebook.com.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

13

Management
Jack Pomprowitz

Outsourcing Management
A Staffing Paradigm Shift

Workers in some professions -- like
nursing and accounting -- are commonly
tapped by employers for limited stints.
Now, we’re seeing a trend toward recruiting interim help at the management level
as well. As work-force demographics and
economic conditions shift, more employers are warming up to the practice.
It’s outsourcing of middle and upper level
management; like a high end staffing
agency that keeps a roster of talented

vantage is that interim managers tend not
to have close ties to employees and leaders
in the company so it is easier for them to
make difficult staffing decisions. They also
tend to avoid an organization’s political
struggles or turf wars.

The Time for Temporaries

With every mass layoff comes a quiet
memo from the top: “Hiring freeze, effective immediately.” But this is precisely the
wrong moment for a hiring freeze. Rather

the map and vary by region. People either
work on a project basis, for a certain number of dollars per month, or for so many
hours per month. This is different from
salaried work.
Short-term jobs generally lack benefits like
medical coverage and stock options. But
they do commonly pay base salaries commensurate with their full-time counterparts, and many employers cover housing
expenses for executives stationed far from

…this is precisely the wrong moment for a hiring freeze.
people and sends them out on short term
assignments as required, while companies
keep just core staff.
Many companies are wary of adding permanent head count in this environment.
An organization may have a pressing need
for a new product launch, restructuring,
or some other specific goal. Teams of
individuals possessing the required skills
are assembled for a specific development
project and then are disbanded when the
project is complete. They effectively create
a temporary company for a one-time project, reducing the risks and costs. A $15,000
three-month project is less risky than a
$65,000 per year fulltime employee (salary
plus benefits).
The attraction for organizations that have
interim needs is they can in very short
order bring in a qualified senior manager
that they may not be able to fit into a
budget on a full-time basis. Another ad-

14

than cutting themselves off from fresh perspectives and new ideas, companies should
rethink and restructure critical management jobs, explicitly giving top priority to
innovation and change.

home. In many instances, benefits and
medical coverage are optional and available at the employee’s choosing.

Compensation Varies

Jack Pomprowitz is Director of Business
Development for Crown Services, a staffing
company with more than 35 offices in 11 states.
He has worked in the staffing business for 11 years.

Some managerial temps say securing a
permanent job is their true goal and that
Organizations should also scrap the part of short-term stints offer a way for them -the memo that forbids any interim person- and employers -- to get a sense of fit. This
nel. A downturn is the perfect moment
allows employees to look at the culture of
to bring in a few temporary managers in
the company and see if they are interested
key positions. You can bring them in for
in a long-term engagement.
fresh ideas, and send them on when the
work is done. Employers who hesitate to
Employers who need to shift course in this
add costly permanent jobs are increasingly changing economy find they don’t always
looking for short-term talent - and plenty have the leadership they need to do so. Inof highly qualified people are looking for
creasingly they are turning to outsourced
work to tide them over until hiring picks
management to fill that gap by hiring talup again.
ent on a flexible, temporary basis.
Salaries for interim managers vary greatly,
depending on the industry and the size
of the company. Hourly fees are all over

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Personal Finance
Keenan Hawke

Retirement in the New Millenium

Time for a Reality Check

My grandfather got out of the War, took
a union job, worked it for almost 50 years
and now he collects his pension and social
security. He still sends me a check every
year for my birthday. (I try not to cash
them, but then he calls and wants to know
why I’m screwing up his checking balance!) You may have noticed that retirement planning is a little different today for
you and me. No more lifetime union jobs.
No pensions. And social security? You’ll
do better telling your Mom to send you
your old security blanket.

…things like
Medicare and
social security were
a lot easier to deal
with when the
average life span
was 67 and people
died before we
knew they were
sick.
Instead of taking a lifetime job right out
of high school, we went to college and
most likely found jobs with solid US
corporations. We weren’t offered a pension, though. And despite watching cash
coming out of our paychecks every month
that was earmarked for social security, we
all knew that was a scam. We were told
to take care of our own retirement using
something called a 401k plan. This plan
was supposed to ensure our golden years.
As long as we kept plowing the money
in, we were set to retire at 65 with a fat
monthly check, a condo on the west coast
of Florida and couple of grandkids here in

Indiana. This was foolproof, which is why
they called it a plan.
How many times in the last 10 years have
you had to re-work your plan? How often
during the bear markets in 2002 and in
2008 did you throw your 401k statement in
the trash? Let’s face it. You don’t even want
to think about retiring. Every time someone brings it up, you get a little sick feeling
in your gut, but you’re so busy running
around at work and taking the kids all over
the place that you forget all about it in a NY
minute. While no one can instantly put all
that money you lost over the last 10 years
back into your 401k account, I can shed
some light on a few reasons why our retirement world is shaping up differently than
our grandparents and I can offer a few ideas
about how to make things better.
If the stock market did nothing but go up,
you wouldn’t have any problems. A big
explanation as to why the market is lower
today than it was 10 years ago (which
means your 401k account is not where
you want it to be) has to do with politics
and demographics. Over the last 80 years,
politicians have figured out one way to
maintain power is to give stuff to people.
This stuff, things like Medicare and social
security, was a lot easier to deal with when
the average life span was 67 and people
died before we knew they were sick. After
WWII, soldiers came home and something kicked off called a baby boom. The
WWII generation went on to produce…
and the baby boom generation went on
to consume…more stuff, which created a
huge economic bonanza. This bonanza can
be seen in the stock market in the almost
uninterrupted bull market that lasted from
1982 until early 2000. Since then, however,
things haven’t been quite so rosy.

In 2000, the stock market began figuring out that it was going to be tough for
all of the countries in the world to pay
for all of the entitlements they promised
their people over the previous 70 years.
America isn’t the only country with
unprecedented debt levels. Every G-20
nation except Australia is saddled with a
debt load that has never been seen before
in human history. The stock market has
been suffering because we are living longer
and the costs to keep us healthy are going
higher and higher.
Does anyone have an answer? Bueller?
Bueller? Here are a few ideas. First, drop
the buy and hold BS. This was cooked up
by Wall Street to keep you in their high
paying mutual funds. Second, get more
flexible (keep your stretch pants in the
closet. I’m talking about your investing
strategy). Every market and asset class
has a season. Sometimes you want to be
in bonds, sometimes you don’t. Gold is
good now, but it won’t be forever. Sell stuff
when it is unjustifiably high, and buy stuff

Drop the buy and
hold BS
when it is real cheap. Don’t even calculate
any kind of help from the government.
That way you won’t be disappointed when
they let you down. The last piece of advice
I have is don’t just stick your head in the
sand. If you do, when you pull it out everything will not be ok.
Keenan Hauke founded the first hedge fund
in Indiana history and manages one of the
fastest growing 401k businesses in America.
An IU graduate, he has lived and worked in
Fishers since 1999.

n a year when so much seemed to go wrong economically, Hamilton
County’s tourism industry was a rare bright spot last year. The number
of visitors drawn here from advertising grew an impressive 43 percent,
ringing up millions of dollars in local spending, according to research
conducted for the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“I was able to stand up there and say we had a positive year,” said Karen
Radcliff, HCCVB deputy director, about her State of Tourism address
to industry partners and government officials.

What’s the attraction?

Of course, we hosted one of the largest events in county history, the
U.S. Senior Open at Carmel’s Crooked Stick Golf Club, which drew
147,000 people creating a $30 million regional impact, Radcliff said.
But many permanent attractions thrived as well. More than 21,000
people floated above Fishers in Conner Prairie’s helium-filled balloon,
tripling the inaugural year’s projected ridership, said Angela Tuell,
the museum’s PR manager.
She added that Conner Prairie’s overall attendance has increased the
past four consecutive years, although HCCVB’s research shows that
among visitors who came due to advertising, 6 percent fewer were
attracted to the museum in 2009 than in 2008. Similarly, tourism in
historic downtown Noblesville dipped 2 percent last year.
HCCVB leaders,
which recently
opened a visitors
center on Courthouse
Square, say the dips
do not indicate a
trend.
“We’re not worried
about any of our
attractions from
an attendance and
Atlanta Earth Festival

visitor perspective,” said bureau Executive
Director Brenda Myers, acknowledging
that “It’s hard to persuade people that
there’s enough to do when you’re not in a
big city.”

cliff explained. So HCCVB built
a successful advertising campaign
on that premise.

Ads blanketing print and broadcast
media in Dayton, Cincinnati and
When the bureau launched its ongoing “8 Louisville -- the county’s strongest
Great Towns” theme in 2006, the message markets for tourists, according
resonated immediately with strong, favor- to HCCVB research – beckoned
able reaction, said Myers.
guests here by promoting fun,
relaxation and affordability.
“Just coming to these eight great towns
Bureau leaders are often asked
means something to people,” Radcliff
added. “We know we have a really nice
mix. We know this message is working.”
An often-repeated assumption that big
Indianapolis events help fill Hamilton

It’s not an accident
that many of Hamilton
County’s ads prominently
feature a locomotive.
County’s 3,106 hotel rooms is false,
said Myers. Although the FFA National
Convention does place high numbers
of blue-jacketed lodgers here in late fall,
“We hardly get any overflow from Marion
County anymore,” she explained. “That’s
one reason we went to ‘8 Great Towns’.”

County attractions tops in area

Three Hamilton County attractions grew
by double digits last year, according to
the research: Noblesville’s Indiana Transportation Museum, Verizon Wireless
Music Center and canoeing on the White
River (see chart, page 18).
It’s a strategy, not an accident, that many
of Hamilton County’s ads prominently
feature an ITM locomotive. Radcliff
calls it “one of the big icons” that attracts
attention, and Myers notes that many
tourists drive past other train museums
to get to ITM.
To build tourism, “We’re encouraging
ITM to do short rides. People don’t want
to commit to all-day rides,” Myers said.

Affordability is key

Even families slammed by the economy
wanted to take a vacation in 2009, RadHamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

17

Year over year
(08-09) attendance
growth among
Hamilton County visitors

why the Chicago market isn’t tapped more
often. Media buys there are expensive, responds Myers, adding that county ads are
placed in Midwest Living magazine and
state travel bureaus. “We can’t be in every
market in a meaningful way.”

“Purgatory gets a lot of buzz because of its
unusual Scottish design,” she said. Ranked
in the top 10 courses in the state by Golf

Because the number of tourists from
Dayton tapered in 2009, HCCVB is
emphasizing the Louisville market this
year, which the bureau’s research says
has the biggest potential for Hamilton
County tourists.
Golf travel continues to be strong here.
Players who came due to advertising
spent more than $6 million in 2009.
Two clubs that attract high numbers are
Carmel’s Prairie View and Noblesville’s
Purgatory.

Woodwind Golf Club

Myers said the BMW Championships, a
playoff tournament in the FedExCup, will
bring national TV coverage to the county
when it’s played at Crooked Stick in 2012.
No matter why tourists head to Hamilton
County, they have to eat when they get
here. “Travel isn’t inspired by food but
food plays a part,” said Myers.

Photography for:
Magazines
Newspapers
Fitness
Family

Special Events
Fundraisers
Modeling
and more

Great Exposures

Purgatory Golf Club

Digest and winner of a 2009 Readers
Choice Award for Top 50 Public Courses
by Golf World Magazine, it is “one of
the longest courses on the planet and is a
big challenge.”

Indianapolis based photographer
Mark A. Lee has been capturing the best
in people and events for over 20 years.
He takes great pride in working
with his clients to ensure the end results
fit their individual needs
in a creative and interesting way.

“Maintenance at (Prairie View) is second
to none,” said Radcliff, who golfs whenever she’s able. Ranked the best course in
Indiana and listed among Golfweek’s Best
Courses You Can Play, it is well known
nationally as one designed by Robert
Trent Jones Jr.

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Her staff developed the “Chow Town”
and its “8 Great Towns Tenderloin
Trail” concepts this year to market locally grown chefs, eateries and wineries.
Partnering with restaurants that serve
tenderloins – more than 2,000 tenderloin
sandwiches a week are served, according to Radcliff -- HCCVB is helping
to promote specials during Tenderloin
Tuesdays through Aug. 10.

Growth isn’t over

This year so far is promising for the
county’s hotel industry; the number of

the anticipated January opening of the
1,600-seat Palladium at the Center for the
Performing Arts and the Indiana Design
Center in Carmel and the developing
Nickel Plate Arts Trail between Fishers
and Tipton County.
Youth sports tournaments and facilities
also are making their mark on the tourism industry, which accounted for 5,000
jobs and $244 million in revenue in 2007.
“Hamilton County youth sports are
very, very healthy,” said Myers. “What
we’re (the bureau) good at is taking it
to the next level, facilities in particular.”

rooms sold is up more than 14% as of
May, according to Smith Travel Research.
And, tourism isn’t expectedto take a
vacation any time soon. For one thing, 48
percent of travelers to Hamilton County
have visited before.
For another, “The Carmel Arts and
Design District is just burgeoning,” said
Radcliff, who believes arts-related tourism is going to blossom. She points to

HCCVB helps event organizers and
groups, such as the one Westfield has
appointed to attract a sports complex,
do feasibility studies, get bids and
do promotions.
The list goes on but in Myers’ and
Radcliff ’s vision, there’s reason to believe
future tourism reports will score more
high notes for the local economy. v

GOES IN TO RETIREMENT.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TAXES AS WELL?
It’s likely that your retirement income may come from many sources,
such as Social Security, pension distributions, a 401(k) or IRA
withdrawals. That’s why, if taxes are a concern for you, it’s important
to choose the right investments for your portfolio. At Edward Jones,
we have many options that can give you more control over your taxes,
so you can enjoy what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Call today to see how our unique, face-to-face approach makes
us best-suited to help long-term investors meet their current
needs and future financial goals.
www.edwardjones.com

ntertaining comes naturally to Ed and
Nancy Cohee. Ed is handy around the
house, and Nancy is known for her
culinary skills. For years Nancy had been
in the corporate world working in information technology sales while Ed was
employed in the high-tech home theater/

It’s a mission of love,
and we love doing it.
custom design business. Their collective
experience has proven priceless for their
new role as innkeepers at the FrederickTalbott Inn in Fishers.

“Approaching retirement, we wanted a
business of our own,” said Nancy. “We
were healthy and had worked for other
people our entire careers, so we felt it was
time to branch out on our own.”
The couple, who are both from the Midwest, was attracted to the Frederick-Talbott Inn because of its location − close to
family and friends. The bed-and-breakfast
also has historic meaning because it overlooks Conner Prairie Interactive History
Park. The original colonial brick twostory farm house was built in 1852 and
the property houses the authentic barn,
formerly used as a milk house. Today the
renovated house features 10 bedrooms
and bathrooms, including a honeymoon
suite. A separate building serves as a
full-service conference center.

Historic farm house setting

Conference Center

20

The nostalgic inn features several
home-grown Indiana antiques, such as
an 18-foot dining table secured in an
auction from the previous innkeepers of
the L.S. Ayres Tea Room in downtown
Indianapolis. Another piece, also

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

purchased at an auction, is a large
wooden locker from Union Station.
The bed & breakfast industry has been a
labor of love for the Cohees. In addition to
the inn having
been unoccupied
for a time, to
build their business the couple
faced a challenging economy.
According to
the Professional
Association of
Innkeepers International, bedand-breakfasts
are a $3.4 billion

A taste of home

Nancy relies on her culinary talents to
make sure guests savor delicious meals.
With four grown daughters and six grandchildren, she has a reputation for knowing
how to choose creative recipes for a variety
of events.
“Some of the most requested dishes
include Frederick’s chicken casserole with
chestnuts, our rice dish with almonds and
homemade cream of mushroom soup.
For breakfast the apple, blueberry, banana
French toast and egg dishes are popular,”
Nancy said.

Entertain all walks of life

Meeting people from all walks of life is one
of the perks the Cohees enjoy most as innkeepers. They’ve hosted many VIP guests
and have met people from all over the
world. Recent visitors have included professionals from the Smithsonian Institute,
who helped launch the balloon exhibit at
Conner Prairie Interactive History Park,
and the owner of the American Girl doll
company. During his stay, Arthur Frommer, noted Budget Travel magazine author,

referred to the inn as “being one
of the best in America.”
There is always something to do as an
innkeeper. One of the Cohees’ future goals
is to preserve the authentic barn for use as
a possible arts’ venue. They have no plans
to retire because they’re having too much
fun coming to work every day.
“We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears
into buying this inn,” Ed added. “It’s a mission of love, and we love doing it.” v

business globally, and the national occupancy rate is typically about 40 percent.
But the Frederick-Talbott Inn has only
seen about 20 percent occupancy recently,
which Nancy says is typical in this type of
economy.
One of the characteristics that draws
people to the Fredrick-Talbot Inn is its
conference center. Having an entire building in which to host a business meeting
has helped the Cohees build a customer
base from all over the country. However,
Ed admits that it is really the innkeepers
who make the biggest difference.
“The personality of the innkeeper sets the
tone for the success of a hotel. Every guest
who walks through our doors is met with a
welcoming smile,” Ed said. “We receive positive feedback about how enjoyable their stay
is, from the accommodations to the food.”
Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

21

Girls Just Want
to Go into Business

Girls take first place in both individual and team Business Plan contests
By Mike Corbett

T

he Spring round of Business Plan competitions was
held in May at St. Vincent’s in Carmel. The competition is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Advancement Center and is judged by volunteers from the

1st Place Individual

Nicolle Larson: Fishers H.S.
Events by Nicolle

business community. Here are the top three individual
plans and top three team plans. Winners of 2nd and
3rd place teams are not identified because we didn’t
receive permission to publicize them.

3rd Place Individual

Alex Turkopolis: Fishers H.S.
Lexa’s Summer Camp

Events by Nicolle is an event coordinating firm
that focuses on the small touches and relies on
involvement from the host. That involvement
is ensured using an interactive web site. “Right
after the client has signed the contract, we will
give them an access code to their personal
account on our website. There they can have complete control…
The host can link their registry to their account, see their budget,
see when the vendors need to be paid, and place ideas they want
to show the coordinator at the next meeting. If they have a question at any point during the planning process, they are able to
instant message us through their new account.” Events by Nicolle
also intends to use the site to stay in touch with its vendors, keeping communication flowing smoothly and ensuring successful
events for its customers.

“Just because a child’s parents have to work all
summer doesn’t mean the child should have to
waste away the summer at home.” With those
inspiring words, Alex offers her version of summer camp, which includes “fun-filled activities
all day long…making the most of the warm
summer days and being outside enjoying the sunshine.” Based on
her calculations, start up costs for this venture are low enough that
Alex can launch with just $400 of her own money and a $7600
loan. She will manage the camp herself because she loves working
with children and she is “organized, conscientious, very friendly
(with) great people skills, independent, and confident.” She notes
that the economy could derail her plans. “My rate of business failure depends solely on the unemployment rate of parents. As long
as parents are still working, there will always be an interest and a
need for summer camps.”

2nd Place Individual

1st Place Team

Tony Granitto: Noblesville H.S.
Votive Clothing

The first line of Tony’s Executive Summary
reads: “Votive Clothing is an ambitious clothing
company that is based on the core of skateboarding, and the passion skateboarders have
for the sport and the lifestyle.” Ambitious is an
understatement. It’s clear he has the passion,
laying out a 20 year plan that starts with shirts, expands into hats,
hoodies, and pants, later into custom skateboards and ending
with “a book about the story of the company and its achievements and its movements to progress skateboarding.” Although
Tony plans to start Votive in Noblesville, expansion is a priority and he intends to be worldwide within ten years, and “by 20
years, Votive will be a common name in the skateboarding community around the world.” You read it here first, folks.

This team wants to capitalize on the popularity of high school sports among girls with a
sports apparel retail store specifically for high school female athletes. “Through our experiences and observations we know it is
hard to find a variety of apparel for female athletes. Our business
will supply our customers with the proper apparel needed for
sports at the high school level…Our store will be easily accessible,
easy to find, and offer an affordable price to our customers. The
store will be located in the heart of Hamilton County where high
school sports have a large impact on the community.”

2nd Place Team

Nerd Haven: Westfield H.S.

A couple of Westfield boys envisioned this
clothing business â&#x20AC;&#x153;as a result of a lack of
appealing t-shirts for children and adults
alike.â&#x20AC;? They want to launch a clothing line
based on Nintendo characters, eventually branching out to other video game
characters, then further branching out to
other clothing. They feel the design choices
currently available are very narrow so they
will design their own versions of the characters and apply them to the shirts. Though
starting as an online business, they hope to
eventually open bricks and mortar stores.

3rd Place Team

Up in Smoke Comedy Club:
Fishers H.S.

The two partners who conceived this
comedy club state right up front that
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The purpose of Up in Smoke Comedy is to make money by providing
a comfortable environment where
one can enjoy some good wholesome
laughter, satisfying relaxation, and top
quality food.â&#x20AC;? They have already chosen
a location: an old house on Illinois St. in
Indianapolis. The comedy club will be
downstairs and the restaurant up. They
see this as an extension of themselves,
having â&#x20AC;&#x153;built this company around our
love and passion for comedy. Here at
USC we want to ensure that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
experience with us will be memorable,
not to mention hilarious.â&#x20AC;?

The Farmers Bank is opening two new
banking offices in Hamilton County, one
in Fishers, 7126 E. 116th St. and the other
in Noblesville, 16940 Clover Rd. Both
buildings are the former Donato’s Pizzeria
restaurants. Headquartered in Frankfort,
IN, The Farmers Bank has 9 banking
offices in Central Indiana, including one
in Sheridan.

Info Services Company Moves
headquarters to Noblesville

Governor Daniels was on hand as Miller
Consulting Group announced plans to expand its operations in Noblesville, creating
up to 230 new jobs by the end of 2013. The
company provides computer-aided design
and engineering services for the aerospace,
defense and medical device industries. The
Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Miller Consulting up to $2.5
million in performance-based tax credits
and up to $120,000 in training grants
based on the company’s job creation plans.

26

Mark and Dia Lubin opened the
Great Harvest Bread Co. bakery at
12505 Old Meridian St. in Carmel.
The store includes an indoor viewing area
where customers can watch the baking
process in action as bakers mill the wheat,
knead the dough, and handcraft each
loaf. Customers are offered a hefty slice of
freshly baked bread each day as part of the
bakery’s unique atmosphere.

Carmel Opens New Trail

Becky Stuck won Westfield’s Website
Photo Contest for this shot of her son
Hayden at Quaker Spray Park. The photo
will be used in Westfield’s marketing
materials for the city’s website.

Joe Mitchell Achieves
Platinum level

Governor Mitch Daniels
at Model Mill in Noblesville

New Bakery Opens in Carmel

Joseph E Mitchell,
Senior Financial Advisor, has become an
Ameriprise Platinum
Financial Services®
advisor based on the
success of his financial services practice
in 2009. Only 15 percent of the 10,000
Ameriprise financial advisors nationwide
achieve this status.

Liz Tate Promoted

Liz Tate has been
named Vice President
for Grants at Central
Indiana Community
Foundation, overseeing
CICF’s $35.7 million
in annual grantmaking
to 753 not-for-profits
in central Indiana. Tate joined Legacy
Fund, the Hamilton County affiliate of
CICF, in 2000, and became associate vice
president in 2007.

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Carmel opened
a new section
of trail connecting The Monon
Greenway to
146th St. just
north of 136th
St. The new section is called the
Hagan-Burke
Judy Hagan
Trail, named for
trails and parks advocate Judy Hagan and
the late Ed Burke.

Krider Promoted

Monique Krider has
been promoted to
Vice President of
Human Resources
at Indiana Members
Credit Union. Krider
has been with IMCU
for 34 years and began in Branch Operations in 1976.

Fishers and Carmel
Make Money’s List

CNN/Money is out with its list of best
small cities and Fishers cracked the top ten
this year at #8, with Carmel just behind
at #14. Fishers last showed up at #10 two
years ago and Carmel didn’t make the list
in ‘08 (CNN/Money changed the population criteria t measure small towns last
year and changed back this year). They
are the only Indiana communities to make
the top 100. Eden Prairie, MN was #1. The
ranking is based on a statistical analysis
of more than a dozen factors designed to
measure quality of life.

Dining Out
Veteran Chef Brings Traditional Italian Flavors
to Hamilton County
Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano
Story and photos by Scott Tyree

W

hile the great chefs across the world are
experimenting with combining various
culinary traditions to create fusion cuisines,
there are still some who seek to preserve the
culinary traditions of their ancestors. Matteo’s
Ristorante Italiano in downtown Noblesville is
preserving the traditions of an Italian family
with a rich culinary history both in Italy and
the United States. Owners Matteo DiRosa and
his wife Emily Herner are striving to provide
customers with Italian food that is representative of the traditional favorites throughout the
diverse regions of Italy.

After working in a family owned restaurant in his
hometown of Salerno, Italy for
many years as a youth, Matteo
spent five years in culinary
school in Italy. He came to
the U.S. in 1999 after serving
in the Italian Army during
Desert Storm and traveling
throughout Europe. Matteo
and Emily met while working
at Amalfi’s in Castleton which
is owned by Matteo’s brother,
Mario. The two decided to
open a restaurant together
outside of the city and in 2003
they opened Matteo’s on Noblesville’s courthouse square.
One of the challenges of locating a restaurant
in a historic downtown building is having
enough space to accommodate a high volume
of customers while having enough kitchen
space to serve them efficiently. Matteo’s
undersized kitchen could be viewed as a
disadvantage by many restaurant owners, but
Matteo and Emily see it as an opportunity.
A lack of cold storage space ensures that your
food is fresh thanks to daily deliveries of
produce, meats and seafood. The advantage
of their location is the charming atmosphere
of the updated and beautifully decorated
building. Sidewalk seating on the Noblesville
square is also available.

Emily and Matteo DiRosa

It is the food that turns customers into regulars and Matteo’s is making regulars almost as
fast as plates of lasagna. All of the items on the
menu are made fresh from recipes developed
by Matteo. The food is rich and hearty and
the flavors of the sauces and soups make you
crave them when you drive through downtown. A great example is the Tortellini Matteo.
Cheese stuffed tortellini is topped with a rich
cream sauce and sautéed in ham, mushrooms,
onions and parmesan cheese. My wife Jana
claims it is the best pasta dish she has ever

had and with a price tag around $15 it is a
great value.
The Filetto di Blue Gorgonzola is a must try
for any steak lover. This dish starts with a
prime cut of tenderloin which is grilled and
then baked in a puff pastry. On the side is
a Gorgonzola cheese sauce accented with

pine nuts. Seafood selections often vary by
availability and include many Mediterranean
species that Matteo enjoyed while in Italy.
Making it to the end of your meal with room
for desert is unlikely, but if you do they offer
made-from-scratch deserts like Tiramisu and
a customer favorite: Fungo cake.
If you have not visited Matteo’s, do your
family or friends a favor and recommend it
for your next meal and prepare to become
a regular.

Jeff Speck is a city planner and architectural designer who advocates internationally for sustainable design. Speck co-authored Suburban Nation: The Rise of
Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, as well as the just-released Smart

Don’t renew your current coverage before
obtaining a quote on the group insurance
plans offered through the Chamber.

Growth Manual.




Chamber members with two or more
employees are eligible to participate in
the group plans which are offered at a
discounted rate through Advantage .







Become one today and take advantage of
this and other valuable benefits.

Debbie Beaudin, Ambassador Committee
Chair presents Jake Doll, Sandol & Associates with the Hamilton North Chamber
Business of the Year award. The Business of
the Year award is chosen among the quarterly Bell of Recognition winners that are
nominated by the Ambassador Committee
and voted on by the Chamber membership.

The 27th Annual Cicero
Triathlon will be
Saturday, August 7

at Red Bridge Park in Cicero.
The Triathlon is the Chamber’s
major annual fundraiser.
The race attracts athletes from
around Central Indiana and
beyond. The triathlon has a
reputation for being a safe, friendly
triathlon enjoyed by beginners and
seasoned athletes alike. Register at
www.getmeregistered/Cicero
or download an entry form
at the Chamber’s website
www.HamiltonNorthChamber.com.

Cindy White remarks to the Annual Meeting
crowd on her time on the Executive Board
of the HNCC. Cindy was recognized for her
service on the Board.

Steve Elliott, local musician and Bob
Foster, local musician and owner of Hedgehog Music Showcase provide the musical
entertainment and a Cindy White mini-roast
for the Chamber’s Annual Meeting at the
Atlanta Banquet Hall

Members of the HNCC enjoy the musical entertainment Cheryl Miller, Adventures Unbridled
recently joined the Chamber
at the May Annual Meeting

Peter Dunn, aka Pete the Planner,
gave a humorous, yet helpful presentation
on financial matters at the June luncheon

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Jill Guion, Anderson University School of
Adult Learning, presents the
Business Spotlight at the June luncheon

Upcoming Events!
AUGUST 2010

August 12 – NetWORKS!
8:00 a.m.

Mudsock’s Grill
14741 Hazel Dell Crossing,
Suite 1000

September 1 – Are You Saying the Right Things?”
8:00 a.m.
Seminar at Cambria Suites
13500 Tegler Drive

September 30 – All County Networking Breakfast
7:30 a.m
East Street Studio
18880 North East Street, Westfield

Community Pride Award for Excellence
The Noblesville Chamber’s Community Pride
Award for Excellence
for June was presented
to Gatewood’s Vegetable
Farm & Greenhouses, a
family-owned business
serving the area since
1922. Accepting the
award were Bill and
Nancy Gatewood. They
are located at 9555 E.
206th Street.

Mary Sue Rowland was the recipient of the Noblesville Chamber’s 2010 Pinnacle Award, presented to a person representing
outstanding achievement in community service. Cindy White
presented the award at the June 23 membership breakfast.

NEW MEMBERS

Eric Askew – WestPoint
Financial Group

Seek out our new members at the next Chamber event you attend and help make them feel welcome!

Chamber Assistant
The Chamber Assistant,
Ashley Gibson, has
been doing an
awesome job at the
chamber. During
school, she works at
the office from 3-5pm
and during the summer
and school breaks, she
is there from 12-2. Stop
in and say hi if you are
in the area. Happy 1
year Anniversary at the
Chamber Ashley!

The Sheridan Sesquicentennial is
now over, but the Chamber just
wanted to wish Sheridan a very
Happy “150th” Birthday and here
is too many more celebrations!
A big thank you goes out to Connie
Pearson, The Sheridan Historical
Society, Sheridan Main Street, The
Sheridan Chamber, The Sheridan
Lions Club, The Sheridan Kiwanis,
The Sheridan Library, and all the
other organizations and people
that helped plan this event! It was
a team effort and all the hard work
is much appreciated!

The Bridgewater Club, 3535 East 161st Street ~ Westfield
Annual State of the Schools Address
Presented by Superintendent, Dr. Mark Keen
Members with reservations: $15.00 ~ Walk-ins, non-members,
and all billables: $20.00. Reservations due by September 10th
RSVP to 317-804-3030 or events@westfield-chamber.org

Joint networking event with all
Hamilton County Chambers of Commerce
East Street Studios, 18880 North East Street ~ Westfield
Catered by Kelties. $10.00 for Chamber members with reservations;
$20.00 for all others & billables
Reservations are required by September 24th
RSVP to 317-804-3030 or events@westfield-chamber.org
All Chamber event dates, timers and locations are subject to change.
Please call 317-804-3030 or visit www.westfield-chamber.org or details.

Visit our new website at www.westfield-chamber.org
Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

33

Hamilton County History

We’ve Always Been Proud
of our Schools
At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, Hamilton County was a prosperous and
diverse community. A natural gas boom had started in 1887 and reached its peak
around 1900. New business ventures were springing up and new immigrants were
moving into the area to work in the factories. Between 1890 and 1900, the overall
county population went from 26,213 to 29,914 - a 14% increase. The population of
Jackson Township made the astonishing jump from 4,255 to 6,620 - a 56% increase.
By 1903, three railroads and an electric Interurban system served the county.
A sense of optimism and advancement prevailed.

David Heighway

Around this time, County School Superintendent Ellis A. Hutchens announced his
wish to have a photograph taken of every school in Hamilton County. In a newspaper
article dated December 13, 1901, Hutchens stated “We have visited and photographed
all the schools of Delaware Township and find a good attendance in every school and a
good working interest.” These township school photographs, taken between 1892 and
1909, have been preserved and are stored at the Hamilton County Historical Society.

Clay Township School No.
4 - this building was built in
1892 near the present intersection of 106th Street and Towne
Road. The area school boards
made a great effort to replace
these wooden schools with brick
ones in the early 1900’s. Teacher
Mahlon L. Haines’ wife, Rachel,
was also a school teacher in
the county.

Atlanta High School, 1901 – A new
all-grades school was built in 1916,
but attendance dropped after the
gas boom failed.

Fall Creek Township School #6 – The
site today is Brooks School Park at the
intersection of 116th St. and Brooks
School Road just south of Brooks
School Elementary.

Westfield High School, here
in the 1890s, was built in 1861
as Union High Academy and was
the elite school of the county.
A new high school was built in
1907 and the academy is now
Union Bible College.

The Noblesville High School
building was considered
state-of-the-art when it was
built in 1900. It was located on
Conner Street and a gymnasium
was added in the 1920s.

Noblesville High School chemistry lab – In the 1960s, the school
was torn down, the gymnasium
was saved, and the site turned
into the Boys and Girls Club.

Fishers Switch School, 1902 – this
was replaced in 1907 by a yellowbrick all-grades school building that
would become Fishers High School.

The photographs are now accessible online through a joint project of the Hamilton
East Public Library, the Hamilton County Historical Society, and IUPUI. The collection,
“Hamilton County in 1900 – Through a Young Person’s Lens”, also includes the photographs of Earl Brooks (1883-1968) who, as a young man, took pictures of Noblesville
and the surrounding area between approximately 1897 and 1904. The images are can
be found at http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/HEPL.

David Heighway is the Hamilton County historian.

34

August • September 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

BUSINESS RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Commercial Lease Space
River Edge Professional Center
and River Edge Market Place
Noblesville, IN
Call John Landy at 317-289-7662
jcl@roamermaritime.com

Digitally printed signs and banners of any
size, vehicle wraps and graphics, T-shirt
printing, laser engraving. Great customer
service, fast turn-around. Family Owned
and Operated. Serving Noblesville
and Hamilton County since 1992.
Also home of Noblesville Trophies
773-7391 Open M-F 9-6 Sat. 10-2

The Hamilton County Autism Support
Group provides community awareness
and helps support families where lives
are challenged by Autism, a disability
that typically appears during the first
three years of life and affects social
interaction and communication skills.
HCASG provides Support Meetings,
Autism Siblings Program, Young
Adults Social Group,
Girls on the Spectrum and more.
For more information,
contact Jane Grimes at 317-403-6705
Or visit www.hcasg.org

The Noblesville Midday Rotary Club is one
of 32,000 local Rotary clubs throughout
the world and six in Hamilton County.
Open to all persons regardless of race,
color, creed or political preference, Rotary
brings together business and professional
leaders to provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all
vocations, and help build goodwill and
peace in the world. Each club meets weekly. For more information on the Noblesville
Midday Rotary Club. Call Gloria Davis
317-877-0051

Computer Consulting

FFS is a locally owned supplier of business
checks, envelopes, commercial print, stamps,
office supplies and anything else you need
to keep your business running. We offer free
delivery in Hamilton County and can usually
have what you need the next business day.
Contact Scott Tyree at 317-726-7385
for a fast quote.

Next Edition:
Real Estate/Residential and
Commercial Development
Advertising Deadline: August 27

• Business Computer Hardware
and Software Installation
• Custom Application Development
• On-Site Support and Service

For advertising info: 774-7747
mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2010

35

HOW TO BE
EXCEPTIONAL
EARN THE DISTINCTIVE MASTER’S IN
MARKETING & COMMUNICATION
In just 16 months, you can acquire a powerful blend
of stand-out-from-the-crowd skills in marketing and
communication by earning the M.S. in Marketing &
Communication from Franklin University. Take classes
one night a week at our new Indy location – or online.

www.franklin.edu/indymarketing

Our Indy location is at Castleton
just off I-465 in the 82nd Street corridor
AC-0224